1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-diagnosing method and apparatus using a Universal Serial Bus (USB). More particularly, the present invention relates to a self-diagnosing method and apparatus that are applicable to a device that includes a USB host and a USB client.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a self test or self diagnosis of a device, such as a printer, requires a computer or a user interface of the device. When using the computer for the self-diagnosis, the computer connected to the printer gives a self-diagnosis command to the printer, and the printer transmits the result of self diagnosis to the computer so that it can be displayed on a monitor or printed out. When using the user interface of the printer, such as a button or a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), the self diagnosis of the printer starts by pressing the button or selecting a self diagnosis item from a menu displayed on the LCD.
However, the use of the computer or the user interface of the printer may result in an inconvenience to the user, since a user must select a self diagnosis item from the computer or the user interface of the printer, such as from a menu displayed on an LCD. However, in general, a portable printer such as a photo printer has only a power button, and the inclusion of an additional self-diagnosis button may be impractical.
Meanwhile, the use of devices that include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) has become increasingly popular. In general, a computer acts as a USB host, and a device, such as a printer or a scanner, acts as a USB client. However, a device such as the photo printer may include both the USB host and the USB client. When the photo printer operates as the USB host, the photo printer may receive data from a memory card or a digital camera acting as the USB client.
As the use of these devices which include a USB has become increasingly popular, the self test or self diagnosis of such devices has also become of greater importance. A method and apparatus for testing a USB device is disclosed in U.S. patent publication No. 2002/0133649, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, still further reductions in user inconvenience is required.
Accordingly, a need exists for a system and method for performing a self diagnosis of a device without the inconvenience caused when manually selecting a self diagnosis item from a computer or a user interface.